1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for representing braille points (raised letters) for a recording medium. More particularly, it relates to a device for representing braille (raised letters) for a recording medium having a braille information representing portion for indicating the type of the recording medium.
2. Background of the Invention
Up to now, a disc cartridge comprising a disc, such as an optical disc or a magnetic disc, as an information signal recording medium, on which information signals, such as music signals or picture signals, are pre-recorded or are to be recorded, and a cartridge main body containing the disc therein, and a tape cartridge comprising a magnetic disc, as an information signal recording medium, on which information signals, such as music signals or picture signals, are prerecorded or are to be recorded, and a cartridge main body containing the tape therein, have been put to use. Plural types of disc cartridges or tape cartridges are available in order to meet various types of the applications and usages. As for the disc cartridges, plural versions thereof having different recordable time periods and recording capacities are available depending on the types of the optical disc or the magnetic disc as the information recording medium.
For example, in the case of a disc cartridge having an optical disc 64 mm in diameter, contained in a cartridge main body, plural disc cartridges having different recordable time durations for information signals, such as music signals, and a common size and outer shape of the cartridge main body, are available depending on the types of the optical disc contained in the cartridge main body. In the case of a disc cartridge having a magnetic disc contained in a cartridge main body, plural disc cartridges having different recordable time durations for information signals and a common size and outer shape of the cartridge main body, are available depending on the types of the magnetic disc contained in the cartridge main body. In addition, in the case of a tape cartridge having a magnetic tape contained in a cartridge main body, plural tape cartridges having different recordable time durations for information signals, such as music signals, and a common size and outer shape of the cartridge main body, are available depending on the lengths and types of the magnetic tape contained in the cartridge main body. These disc cartridges and tape cartridges cope with variable types of applications and usages by changing only the disc or tape contained in the cartridge main body, while maintaining the common shape of each cartridge main body, as described above. However, the disc or tape type cannot be identified on viewing the cartridge from outside, since each cartridge main body is of the common shape. Consequently, this type of the disc or tape cartridge is provided with an indication indicating the recordable time and recording capacity for information signals for the types of the disc or tape contained in the main cartridge body. This indication is provided, such as by printing, on the outer surface of the cartridge main body or on the surface of a shutter movably mounted on the cartridge main body. By such indication, the recordable time or the recording capacity may be visually identified even with the disc cartridge or the tape cartridge having the common size and outer shape of the cartridge main body.
The above indication indicating the recordable time or the recordable capacity for information signals provided on the disc cartridge or the tape cartridge is mainly designed for visual discrimination by characters or figures. Such indication mainly enabling the visual discrimination renders the discrimination extremely difficult or even impossible for the blind or weakly sighted users.
On the other hand, the disc or tape cartridge is distributed to retail shops in the state of being packaged in a packaging film sheet, for protecting the disc or tape contained in the cartridge main body and preventing damage or pollution to the surface of the cartridge main body.
In addition, a printed sheet or label indicating the recording contents recorded on the disc or tape contained in the cartridge main body or indicating the identification symbol of the cartridge itself is affixed on the disc or tape cartridge. This printing sheet sheathes the outer surface of the disc or tape cartridge and is packaged along with the cartridge in a packaging sheet film. As a result, the indication of the recordable time or the recording capacity applied on the disc or tape cartridge is hidden by the printing sheet and cannot be identified visually.
There is also a disc cartridge or a tape cartridge which is distributed on a retail route in a state of being contained in a container casing packaged by a packaging film sheet. Once the disc or tape cartridge is contained in such container casing, the indication on the cartridge main body cannot be identified visually.
Recently, attempts have been made to indicate the type of the information recording medium using the discrimination indication of convex and concave shapes for weakly sighted or blind users. For example, in a compact cassette containing a magnetic tape capable of recording speech signals, convexed or recessed identification marks for discrimination between sides A and B of the main cassette body or convexed or recessed arrow marks for identification of the recordable time for the weakly sighted or blind users are applied separately from the usual printing. These marks are formed using a metal mold for injection molding of the cassette main body at the time of fabrication of the cassette main body.
If the convexed or recessed discrimination marks are inscribed on the cartridge main body of the disc cartridge, as means for grasping the recordable time or recording capacity by relying upon the user's tactile sense, as in the case of the compact cassette described above, the following methods may be employed. With a first method, the indication for discrimination is inscribed on the main cartridge body, at the time of fabrication of the cartridge main body by injection molding, using dedicated metal molds depending on the difference in the recordable capacity and the recording time. With a second method, disc cartridges having variable indication of the recordable capacity or the recording time is prepared using cores of metal molds for injection molding which are exchanged depending on the types of the disc cartridges.
With the first method, since the different types of the disc cartridges can hardly be discerned at the time of fabrication so that different types of the disc cartridges tend to be exchanged for one another through mistake thus presenting difficulties in product management.
With the second method, about eleven hours are consumed in exchanging the cores of the metal molds for injection molding. During this time, the molding operation for the cartridge main body has to be discontinued, with the result that the production efficiency becomes poor and the product yield is significantly lowered. The problem of mistaken exchange of different type cartridges is presented, as with the first method.